Straightening machine for elongated workpieces

ABSTRACT

A machine for simultaneously straightening leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a member such as a diode including a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll series mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving the leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, a conveyor in the form of a feed wheel for magnetically engaging the central portion of a member at a vibrating hopper and carrying the member to said space and for holding said member at said space for a period of time sufficient to effect the straightening of the leads and thereafter carrying the member to a station where it is removed from the feed wheel and deposited on a conveyor for carrying to a subsequent packaging station. The feed wheel can be driven by a Geneva gear mechanism in an intermittent stepwise manner, or, alternatively, the feed wheel can be driven by a gearing arrangement in a continuous manner which causes the workpiece to be carried from the hopper at a relatively high speed to the space between the rolls where it slows down for a very short period of time and thereafter is carried at a relatively high speed to the conveyor which carries it to the packaging section. Certain of the rolls of the straightening machine are mounted in a cantilevered manner so that the feed wheel passes between axially aligned cantilevered rolls. The straightening machine includes either a series of rolls or a cam arrangement which cooperates with the straightening rolls so as to guide the workpiece through the space in which the leads are straightened, with this series of rolls or the cam means operating in timed relationship to the movement of the feed wheel through suitable gearing. The workpiece can be tested while at the straightening space by passing an electric current through it to check its electrical characteristics. Ejection mechanism is provided for removing the workpiece from the feed wheel before it reaches the conveyor which carries it to the packaging station if the workpiece tests unsatisfactorily.

United States Patent 91 Kopczynski STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR ELONGATED WORKPIECES [76] Inventor: John F. Kopczynski, 1671 Sweeney St., North Tonawanda, NY. 14120 [22] Filed: Sept. 6, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 286,547

[52] US. Cl.

Diggle et a1 .1 140/147 Wohlman 140/147 Primary Examiner-Lowell A. Larson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Joseph P. Gastel, Esq.

[57] ABSTRACT A machine for simultaneously straightening leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a member such as a diode including a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll series mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving the leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, a conveyor in the form of a feed wheel for magnetically engaging the central portion of a member at a vibrating hopper and carrying the member to said space and [4 1 Mar. 26, 1974 for holding said member at said space for a period of time sufficient to effect the straightening of the leads and thereafter carrying the member to a station where it is removed from the feed wheel and deposited on a conveyor for carrying to a subsequent packaging station. The feed wheel can be driven by a Geneva gear mechanism in an intermittent stepwise manner, or, al-' tematively, the feed wheel can be driven by a gearing arrangement in a continuous manner which causes the workpiece to be carried from the hopper at a relatively high speed to the space betweenthe rolls where it slows down for a very short period of time and thereafter is carried at a relatively high speed to the conveyor which carries it to the packaging section. Certain of the rolls of the straightening machine are mounted in a cantilevered manner so that the feed wheel passes between axially aligned cantilevered rolls. The straightening machine includes either a series of rolls or a cam arrangement which cooperates with the straightening rolls so as to guide the workpiece through the space in which the leads are straightened, with this series of rolls or the cam means operating in timed relationship to the movement of the feed wheel through suitable gearing. The workpiece can be tested while at the straightening space by passing an electric current through it to check its electrical characteristics. Ejection mechanism is provided for removing the workpiece from the feed wheel before it reaches the conveyor which carries it to the packaging station if the workpiece tests unsatisfactorily.

20 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PAIENTEBIARZB m4 3.799.216

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PATENTEDmzs 1914 sum 10 nr 11 PAIENTEBmzs 1914 saw '11 or 11 DUUAW OJ STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR ELONGATED WORKPIECIES The present invention relates to an improved machine for straightening elongated wire-like workpieces and more particularly to a machine for straightening the leads of electric components such as diodes by bending them between rolls.

By way of background, machines have been used in the past for the purpose of straightening the leads of a workpiece such as a diode or the like by means of series of opposed rolls. Machines of this type are shown in US. Pat. of John F. Kopczynski Nos. 3,672,411 and 3,625,263. In the prior type of machines the workpiece was dropped into the machine from a suitable source of supply and the leads were straightened by the rolls of the machine. Thereafter, the workpiece was caused to drop into a delivery chute. In foregoing types of machines, when the workpiece was traveling from the source of supply to the rolls and from the rolls to the delivery chute, it dropped freely by gravity and was unsupported. This was disadvantageous in a number of respects. A first disadvantage was that the speed of the machine was limited by the time it took for the workpieces to fall from one position to another, and therefore the machine did not operate at as high a speed as it could have operated if the workpieces were moved through the machine at a higher speed than the speed obtainable with their freely dropping rate. A second disadvantage was that the loss of contact with the workpiece during its travel through the machine was a potential source ofjamming. It is with providing an improvement which overcomes the disadvantages of the foregoing type of machine that the present invention is concerned.

It is accordingly one important object of the present invention to provide a machine for straightening elongated workpieces such as the leads of diodes or the like wherein positive control of the workpiece is maintained from the time it is picked up from a source of supply until the time when it is deposited at another station so that it is held continuously during its travel through the machine, thereby greatly lessening the tendency of the workpieces to jam the machine.

Another important object of the present invention is toprovide a machine for straightening elongated objects such as the leads of diodes or the like which has a relatively high production rate because of the fact that the workpieces can be moved through the machine at a speed which is greater than the rate at which they drop through the machine because the workpiece is positively held at all times. Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will readily be perceived hereafter.

The present invention relates to an improved machine for straightening a lead extending outwardly from a member comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel rolls mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said lead and rolling said lead while said lead is in said space, and feed means for maintaining engagement with said member while carrying said member to and from said space and while said lead is being rolled when it is positioned in said space. In its more specific aspects the feed means maintain engagement with the central portion of a member from which leads extend in opposite directions, with said substantially parallel rolls simulaneously straightening the leads while the central portion is held by the feed means. The various aspects of the present invention will be more fully understood when the following portions of the specification are read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the improved machine of the present invention including the feed mechanism, the straightening machine, ahd the packaging machine;

FIG. 1A is a side elevational view of the electronic component, namely, a diode having leads which are straightened by the machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the straightening machine shown in FIG. 1 showing the gearing and the details of the mechanical structure of the straightening machine and its relationship to the feed mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view, partially in cross section, taken from the left of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view, with parts omitted in the interest of clarity, taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and showing the details of one of the roll series and the drive linkage therefor;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partially in cross section, taken substantially in the direction of line 55 of FIG. 7, and showing the structure for conducting electricity to certain of the rolls to permit testing of the workpiece by passing electric current through it while it is being rolled;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 2, with certain parts omitted in the interest of clarity and showing further details of the gearing arrangement for driving certain of the rolls and also showing the manner in which certain rolls are mounted on the base of the machine;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the straightening machine and a part of the feed mechanism with certain portions in cross section and certain portions omitted in the interest of clarity;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view partially in cross section showing the relationship between the feed wheel and the supply hopper and the straightening machine and the conveyor for carrying the straightened workpieces to the packaging machine;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention showing a feed arrangement in conjunction with a straightening machine for causing the workpieces to be fed in a continuous manner to the rolling machine, rather than the intermittent manner of FIGS. 1-8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the feed mechanism of FIG. 9 and showing in enlarged detail the relationship between the feed cam structure and the workpiece carried by the feed wheel;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the machine of FIG. 9 taken substantially along line 11-11 of FIG. 9 with certain parts omitted in the interest of clarity;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view similar to FIG. 11 but showing the gearing arrangement for providing the continuous drive;

. FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the various drives of the machine;

FIG. 14 is another schematic view showing the relationship between the drives to the various portions of the machine and the feed mechanism and the rolls; and

FIG. 15 is a graph depicting the speed with which the workpiece is carried continuously at various portions of its travel.

The improved machine of the present invention includes a table or base 11 having legs 12 and a top 13 on which are suitably mounted a feed mechanism comprising feed hopper 14 associated with a feed wheel 15 for receiving workpieces from the hopper and conveying them to the straightening machine 16 and thereafter carrying the workpieces to conveyor belt 17 which transfers the workpieces to the packaging machine 18.

The feed hopper 14 includes bin 19 (FIGS. 1 and 8) mounted on base 20 secured to table top 13 by columns 21 which extend upwardly from base 20 and pivotally support link 22 at their upper ends by means of pin connections 23 which extend through portions 24 at the top of columns 21 and brackets 25 secured to link 22. The foregoing connection permits bin 19 to be movable relative to columns 21. A bracket 26 is secured to the underside of bin 19 and is connected to a vibratory motor structure 27 underneath the bin so as to impart vibration thereto. The opposite side panesl 28 and 28 of bin 19 are magnetic so as to cause the opposed leads 29, which are in axial alignment with each other, to line up crosswise of bin 19 when the hopper is vibrated, leads 29 extending outwardly from body portion 30 ofthe diode 31, as shown in FIG. 1A. While the following portions of the specification are directed to diodes of the type shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the structure of the present invention can be used with equal facility with resistors or condensors or any other type of component having a central body portion and a pair of axially aligned leads extending from opposite sides thereof. Within bin 19 is a baffle plate 32 (FIG. 8) which extends across the bin from side 28 to side 28 and is supported at its upper end on link 22. The lower end 33 of plate 32 is spaced from the bottom 34 of bin 19 to permit the workpieces 31 to pile up as shown in FIG. 8 as a result of vibrating bin 19 and subjecting workpieces 31 to the magnetic action of sides 28-28.

The feed wheel 15, which is keyed to shaft 35, is driven with an intermittent motion to pick up workpieces 31 from bin 19, one at a time, and convey them to rolling machine 16 where leads 29 are straightened. More specifically, a drive belt 36 is driven by motor 36' and in turn drives pulley 37 (FIG. 3) which it encircles. Pulley 37 is keyed to shaft 38 which has coupling 39 keyed thereon which in turn is also keyed to shaft 40 which is coaxial with shaft 38. Shaft 38 is integral with and a continuation of shaft 89 (FIG. 6). Shaft 40 is the input to Geneva gear mechanism 41 (FIG. 7) which has output shaft extending from sleeve 42 mounted on the Geneva gear housing 43. The Geneva gear mechanism causes the feed wheel 15 to intermittently come to rest while holding a workpiece 31 at the proper position in the straightening machine 16 so that the leads 29 can be straightened, and thereafter the Geneva gear mechanism moves the workpiece to conveyor 17.

The workpieces 31, which are aligned in parallelism with each other in bin 19, are picked up by feed wheel 15, one at a time, as it moves with an intermittent motion past opening 44 at the bottom left hand corner of bin 19. More specifically, feed wheel 15 includes a plurality of spaced circumferential protuberances 45 (FIG. 8) each having a shelf portion 46 on which the body 30 of workpiece 31 comes to rest. Actually in practice since feed wheel 15 rotates in the direction of arrow 47, the leading portion 48 of each protuberance 49 will ride under the central portion 30 ofa workpiece which will thereafter come to rest on shelf 46. A magnet 50 is mounted on the wheel at each circumferentially spaced location between pairs of protuberances 49 and 45 and this magnet attracts the central portion of workpiece 311 and holds such workpiece after it has been picked up at opening 44.

It is to be noted that shelf 46, because of its size, can only receive one body portion 30 and it carries this body portion upwardly in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8. Hoods 51, which are spaced on opposite sides of wheel 15, permit the central body portion 30 to be carried by protuberance 45 while leads 29 are located outside of hoods 51. A freely rotatable spongelike wheel 53 is mounted on shaft 54 carried by bracket 55. An air hose 56, which conducts compressed air, terminates at nozzle 57. The compressed air leaving nozzle 57 causes wheel 53 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction to pick off any workpiece 31 in excess of one which is in direct engagement with magnet 50, in the event for any reason that more than one workpiece should be picked up. This workpiece will then fall downwardly along the outside surface of hoods 51 back onto the pile of workpieces 31 shown at the bottom of bin 19.

Feed wheel 15 will be driven in an intermittent manner, as described above, and it will pause intermittently when the workpiece reaches a position in the space 59 (FIG. 2) where it can be acted on by the three roll series 60, 61 and 62 which engage leads 29 therebetween while body portion 30 is being held by magnet 50. The

I roll series 60, 61 and 62 will rotate the leads and straighten them, and thereafter the feed wheel 15 will carry the workpiece 31 to the next station and bring a new workpiece 31 into position into space 59 where it is straightened.

The series of rolls 62 includes a plurality of axially spaced rolls 62 (FIG. 3) which are journalled on shaft 63 (FIG. 2) supported in spaced arms 64 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of lever 65 which has its lower end 66 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 7) journalled on pin 67 supported between spaced cars 68 extending upwardly from base 69 secured to table top 13 by means of screws 70. Also extending upwardly from lower portion 66 of lever 65 are closely spaced arms 71 (FIG. 3) through which removable pin 72 extends, this removable pin including a head 73, a foot 74 and a central portion 75. The central portion 75 extends through an aperture 77 in link 76 having its lower end 78 (FIG. 4) journalled on pin 79 eccentrically mounted on disc 80 to form an eccentric connection therewith, bearing 81 being interposed between pin 79 and link portion 78 and said bearing 81 being maintained in position by nut 82 threaded onto the end of pin 79. Disc 80 is secured to the end of shaft 83 journalled in base portion 84 by bearings 85, and shaft 83 has a gear 86 keyed thereon and held in position by means of nut 87. Gear 86 is in mesh with gear 88 (FIGS. 2 and 6) which is keyed to shaft 89 journalled in bearings 90 and 91 mounted in base portion 92. Shaft 89 also has gear 93 keyed thereon and shaft 89 terminates at and is integral with shaft 38 driven by pulley 37. A nut 94 holds gear 93 in position. It can thus been seen that gear 86 is thus driven by pulley 37 through shafts 38 and 89 and gear 88, which is secured to shaft 89 by means of nut 95. The rotation of gear 86 will cause the rotation of disc 80 and the rotation of pin 79 which will cause link 76 to move up and down which in turn will cause lever 65 to oscillate between its solid line position of FIG. 2 and the dotted line position A shown therein. In position A roll series 62 is moved away from roll series 60 and 61 to permit a workpiece 31 to be moved into space 59 between workpiece series 60 and 61. At this point it is to be noted that rolls 62 which are preferably made out of plastic mounted on a single shaft 63 which extends between arms 64 and that at the central portion of the roll series 62 there is a space to accommodate the central body portion 30 of workpiece 31. Analogous spaces between the other roll series are shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. Roll series 60 and 61 are also preferably fabricated from plastic.

The workpiece series 61 (FIG. 4) consists of two spaced sets of rolls 161 and 261 having disc-like rolls extending outwardly from central core portions 96 and 97, respectively, which are mounted in keyed relationship to liner 98, which in turn is keyed to shaft 99 having its opposite ends journalled in bearings 100 and 101 mounted in bosses 102 and 103, respectively. A thumb nut 104 is threaded onto threaded portion 105 of shaft 99 and a lock screw 106 firmly locks nut 104 in position. Bosses 102 and 103 are formed on spaced arms 107 and 108, respectively, of frame 108' (FIG. 7). Arm 108 includes lobe 109 (FIG. 2) and lobe 110, which is mounted on shaft 89. Arm 108 also includes lobe 111, which mounts screw 112, and lobe 113 which mounts cam follower 114. Plunger 116 is biased by spring 117 located in bore 118 of base portion 69 and this causes arm 108 to be biased in a clockwise direction in FIG. 2 about the axis of shaft 89 and the limit of such motion is determined by the adjustment of screw 112 relativeto stop surface 119 mounted on base portion 92. It can thus be seen that roll series 61 is carried on shaft 99 which is supported on opposed arms 107 and 108 of frame 108, and therefore as arms 107 and 108 pivot in unison in a clockwise direction about the axis of shaft 89 in FIG. 2, roll series 61 will be caused to move relative to roll series 60. In this respect there is a cam 120 (FIG. 4) on shaft 83 and this cam periodically causes rocking of arm 108 back and forth about the axis of shaft 89 to thereby cause roll series 61 to approach and recede from roll series 60 in timed relationship to other actions of the machine. Roll series 61 is in a close position to roll series 60 during the rolling and it is caused to recede when it is desired to permit the workpiece 31 to pass downwardly away from space 59. At this point it is to be noted that arms 107 and 108 of frame 108 are mounted on bearings 122 and 123 (FIG. 6), respectively, which in turn are mounted on shaft 89. The roll series 61 is driven because gear 124 is keyed to shaft 99 and gear 124 is in mesh with gear 88 which is driven by shaft 89. Gear 124 is held in position by nut 125. It is to be noted that there is a space 126 between the innermost of the rolls 161 and 261 for accommodating the body portion 30 of the workpiece.

The roll series 60 (FIG. 6) include rolls 160 and 260 formed of suitable plastic on hollow cylindrical cores 127 and 128, respectively, which are mounted on shaft extensions 129 and 130, respectively, which are threadably mounted onto shafts 131 and 132, respectively. Shaft 131 is journalled in bearings 133 and 134 located in standards 135 and 136, respectively, of the machine. Shaft 132 is journalled in bearings 137 and 138 which are mounted in standards 139 and 140 of the machine. A gear 141 is in mesh with gear 88 driven by shaft 89, gear 141 being keyed to shaft 131. A gear 142 is keyed to shaft 132 and gear 142 is in mesh with gear 93 keyed to shaft 89. It can thus be seen that whenever shaft 89 is rotated, rolls 160 will be rotated because of the connection between gears 88 and 141 and rolls 260 will be rotated in the same direction because of the engagement between gears 93 and 142. It can thus be seen that notwithstanding the division of roll series 60 into rolls 160 and 260 which are mounted in cantilevered relationship on different portions of the base of the rolling machine, they are caused to rotate in unison because of the above described gear arrangement.

In the event that it is desired to cause the space defined between roll series 60 and 61 to be smaller, that is to cause rolls 61 to approach roll series 60, it is merely necessary to back off screw 112 to permit spring 117 to expand and thus bias arms 108 and 107 more in a clockwise direction. If it is desired to cause space 59 to be larger the reverse is effected. If for any reason it is desired to move link 65 from dotted line position A to dotted line position B in FIG. 2, it is merely necessary to remove pin 72 from arms 71 and links 65 and 76 so as to permit the foregoing to take place. Lever 65 is moved to position B when it is desired to have greater access to the remainder of the machine by moving roll series 62 to the remote position of FIG. 2. Normally, however, pin 72 is not removed from the position shown in FIG. 3.

If for any reason it is desired to change the throw of lever 65 so as to cause roll series 62 carried thereon to move to different limits of travel, it is merely necessary to adjust the position of wedge 144 which is interposed between base portion 69 and surface 150 of table top 13 (FIGS. 3, 2 and 7). More specifically, in order to change the throw of lever 65 it is merely necessary to loosen the four screws 70 (FIG. 7) and thereafter rotate screw 145 (FIG. 3) in block 146 in which it is threaded after nut 147 has been loosened, block 146 being secured to table top 13. This will cause wedge 144 to move to the right or to the left in FIG. 3 because of the connection 148 between the end of screw 145 and wedge 144. After wedge 144 has reached its desired position, screws 70 and nut 147 are retightened. It will be appreciated that the elevation of the undersurface 149 of base 69 relative to the top 150 of table 13 will be determined by the position of wedge 144. This in turn will determine the elevation of shaft 67 carried by spaced ears 68 of base 69 which in turn will determine the limits of movement of roll series 62.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, the rolls of roll series 60 and 61 are in alignment with each other, that is, their peripheries are opposed to each other. However, as can be seen from FIG. 3, the rolls of roll series 62 fit between rolls of roll series 60 and 61. This permits a very small space 59 to be obtained at the junction of roll series 60, 61 and 62, that is, when these roll series are in the solid line position shown in FIG. 2. In other words, roll series 60 and 61 can only approach each other so closely before they will touch. However, roll series 62, being interspersed with roll series 60 and 61, can move down into position so as to provide the very small space 59 in which the workpiece is held during rolling.

After a workpiece has been rolled, roll series 61 is caused to recede from roll series 60, as noted above, and thereafter feed wheel 15 is actuated by the Geneva gear mechanism to cause it to move to a new position wherein it brings in a fresh workpiece 31 into space 59 for subsequent rolling after roll series 61 is caused to approach roll series 60 and roll series 62 is moved to the solid line position shown in FIG. 2.

As can be seen from FIGS. and 7, a testing setup is provided for testing electrical continuity of workpiece 31. In this respect a bracket 152 is secured to frame portion 153 by means of screws 154 and this bracket supports a brush 155 which is secured to bracket 152 by means of screws 156. Bracket 152 is insulated from machine portion 153 and an analogous bracket and brush arrangement 152 is shown at the other end of roll series 61. Rolls 157 and 158 are conductive, as are hub portions 157 and 158 of rolls 157, 158, respectively. However, hub portions 157 and 158 are mounted on plastic core members 96 and 97, respectively, which insulate them from shaft 99. Suitable conductors, not shown, are electrically connected to brushes 155 and its counterpart 155' on brackets 152 and 152, respectively, so as to permit passing of a current through workpiece 31 when the ends of leads 29 are in engagement with the periphery of rolls 157 and 158. If for any reason the current passing through workpiece 131 is not of a predetermined value, this can be taken to mean that the workpiece is defective and it can therefore be automatically rejected.

Suitable mechanism is provided to withdraw defective workpieces 31 from feed wheel after leads 29 have been straightened and testing has occurred in the above described manner. More specifically, as can be noted from FIG. 8, each workpiece during rolling will occupy a central position between roll series 60, 61 and 62. Thereafter, feed wheel 15 will move it to an intermediate position at 225 clockwise from the vertical and thereafter feed wheel 15 will move the workpiece to a position at 180 from the vertical. The information obtained from testing while the workpiece is between roll series 60, 61 and 62 is fed to a shift register. If the value which is obtained from testing indicates that rejection should occur, solenoid 160 will be energized to move piston 161 upwardly against the bias of spring 162 which is interposed between collar 163 associated with piston 161 and a shoulder on the inside of bore 164. Solenoid 160 is energized when the defective workpiece is directly above it. This will cause magnet 165 at the upper end of piston 161 to approach workpiece 31. The strength of magnet 165 is greater than the strength of magnet 50 which tends to hold workpiece 31 on feed wheel 15. Therefore, magnet 165 will provide a greater pulling force and pull workpiece 31 away from magnet 50. Thereafter, solenoid 160 will be deactuated and spring 162 will extend to move piston 161 back to the position shown in FIG. 8. However, in moving to the position shown in FIG. 8, it will move below the upper surface 166 of a plurality of spaced parallel tines 167 to thereby disengage workpiece 31 from magnet 165 and thereafter workpiece 31 will pass down chute 168 and drop into reject receptacle 169.

If the workpiece 31 is not defective and therefore has not been withdrawn by the action of magnet 165, it will move counterclockwise 45 from the rejection position during the next movement of the Geneva gear. At this point a pair of spaced tines 170, which are attached to link 26, will engage the leads 29 on opposite sides of the body portion 30 and cause it to drop downwardly into the space 171 between adjacent teeth 172 formed on spaced belts 173 of conveyor 17. Actually the teeth are approximately the length of each lead 29 and there are two belts 173 in side-by-side relationship and in exact alignment so as to provide support for the leads 29 on opposite sides of the body portion and to provide a space between belts 173 for receiving body portion 30. There is an electric eye arrangement including a transmitter portion 174 and a receiver portion 175 located at the point where workpieces 31 are removed from feed wheel 15. If a workpiece is removed, this information will be sensed by the electric eye 174-175 and wheel pulley 176 on which belts 173 are mounted will be advanced one space between teeth 172 in a clockwise direction so as to provide an open space between the subsequent pair of teeth 172 to receive the next workpiece which is to be placed on the belt. However, if the workpiece 31 was rejected by the action of magnet 165, as described in detail above, then there is no workpiece 31 in position to be placed on to belt 17. Therefore, electric eye 174-175 will not provide a signal to a suitable advancing mechanism (not shown) for advancing belts 173 in one increment.

Belts 173 are moved increment-by-increment in the direction of arrow 176 and workpieces 31 carried by conveyor 17 are thereafter automatically packaged by packaging machine 18. More specifically, packaging machine 18 includes a pickup roller 178 which receives tape 179 from tape storage roll 180. Tape 179 passes around idler rollers 181 and 182 and is brought down into the space between belts 173 so that its sticky side will engage workpiece 31 and lift it upwardly off of belt 17. A second tape is stored on roll 183 and is caused to pass around idler rolls 184 and 185 and then around idler roll 186. The sticky side of tape 187 is brought up against the sticky side of tape 179 so that the workpieces 31 are firmly sandwiched therebetween. Thereafter, the laminate consisting of tapes 179 and 187 which hold workpieces 31 in spaced relationship is caused to pass around idler rollers 188 and 189 and then to takeup reel 190 which is caused to rotate to reel in the finished assembled tape unit 191, and liner roll I holder 192 unreels a liner tape 193 which is interspersed between successive convolutions of tape laminate 191. After reel 190 has been filled up to the desired extent, the laminate 191 is cut and the reel 190 is removed and another reel is thereafter placed in position to continue the takeup.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 9-15. There is a basic difference between the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8 on one hand and 9-15 on the other hand. In the embodiment of FIGS. 18, the workpiece is fed to the straightening machine in an intermittent stepwise manner by a Geneva gear movement, as described in detail above. However, in the embodiment of FIGS. 915 the workpiece is fed to the rolling machine in a more continuous manner so that it does not stop at the work station but merely slows down while it is being held by the feed member at the work station and then continues its travel. There are also other variations in structure between the two embodiments of the invention. However, basically they are the same in their ultimate function. As will be appreciated from FIGS. 9-15, this embodiment is more simplified than the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8. It isto be especially noted, however, that common to both embodiments is the underlying concept of holding the workpiece by the feed wheel from the time that it is picked up until such time as it is deposited on the conveyor leading to the packaging machine. In this respect the details of the feed hopper and the packaging machine have been omitted from FIGS. 9-15, but it will be understood that these form a part of the embodiment of FIGS. 9-15 and that they may be identical to these portions of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-8.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 9-15, a base 200 is provided which may be mounted on a suitable table top or the like 201. Spaced arms 202 and 203 extend upwardly from base 200 and support roll series 204 consisting of cantilevered rolls 204' and 204" which have a space 205 therebetween through which feed wheel 206 passes. More specifically in the foregoing respect the shaft 208 on which rolls 204 are mounted is supported by upstanding arm 203 and upstanding arm 207, which also extends upwardly from base 200. Suitable bearings (not shown) in arms 203 and 207 journal the shaft 208. Shaft 209, which mounts rolls 204", is journalled for rotation in suitable bearings (not shown) in upstanding arm 202 and upstanding arm 210 which also extends upwardly from base 200. A description of the details of construction of the bearings and the manner in which shafts 208 and 209 are mounted is not deemed necessary at this point because of the fact that the structure may be similar to that described above relative to FIGS. 1-8.

The roll series 204 and 227 are driven in the following manner. A belt drive is provided which includes belt 211 coupled to a suitable motor source and encircling pulley 212 which is keyed to shaft 213. Shaft 213 is analogous to shaft 89 of FIG. 6 and shaft 213 extends all the way from the left of the machine as shown in FIG. 11 to the right portion of the machine in a manner analogous to shaft 89 of FIG. 6. However, the portion of shaft 213 to the right of the portion shown in FIG. 11 has been omitted from FIG. 11 in the interest of clarity. Keyed to shaft 213 are gears 300 and 301. Gear 300 is in mesh with gear 302 which is keyed to shaft 208 and therefore drives rolls 204. Gear 301, which is keyed to shaft 213, is in mesh with gear 303 which is keyed to shaft 209 which mounts rolls 204". Gear 301 is also in mesh with gear 304 which is keyed to shaft 305 journalled in bearings (not shown) in frame portions 306 and 307. Shaft 305 mounts rolls 227" with a space 227 at their central portion. It is through the medium of shaft 213 and the various gears mounted thereon and associated therewith that roll series 204 and 227 are driven.

Provision is also made for guiding the workpieces 31 through roll series 204 and 227. This structure includes cams 226 which are mounted on shaft 223 which is driven in a suitable manner. More specifically, shaft 213 also has pulley 214 keyed thereon. A second belt 215 encircles pulley 214i and pulley 216 which is keyed to shaft 217 which in turn is journalled in bearings 218 and 219 mounted within housing 220. A gear 221 is keyed to shaft 217 and in turn is in mesh with gear 222 keyed to shaft 223 journalled in spaced bearings 224 and 225 mounted in housing 220. The series of cams 226 are keyed to the portion of shaft 223 which extends out of housing 220 and these cams aid in pushing the workpieces 31 on feed wheel 206 through the spaced roll series 204 and 227. At this point it is to be especially noted that the embodiment of FIGS. 9-15 is more simplified than FIGS. 1-8 in that only two spaced roll series are used, namely, 204 and 227. The third roll series of FIGS. 1-8 has been eliminated but in their place cams 226 are used.

Feed wheel 206 is driven in timed relationship to the movement of earns 226 so that the outer surfaces 240 of cams 226 follow in close proximity to the leads 29 as workpiece 31 is carried by the feed wheel 206 but do not engage leads 20 until immediately prior to their engagement by roll series 204 and 227 to thereby stabilize the workpiece in this area. Cams 226 maintain engagement with leads 29 after the leads terminate engagement with roll series 204 and 227, to thereby push workpiece 31 from the straightening area. It is to be noted that cams 226 are eccentrically mounted on shaft 223. Furthermore, shaft 223 rotates at a constant angular speed, and therefore because of the eccentric mounting of cams 226 on shaft 223, the portions of the surfaces 240 which are further from the axis of shaft 225, will travel at a greater linear speed. Thus, for example, when the workpiece 31 travels on feed wheel 206 so that it is followed by the portion of cam surface 240 between points E and C, the travel will be relatively fast. From point C to point D the travel will be relatively slow. This follows the type of action such as shown on curve 241 in FIG. 15 which depicts the acceleration and deceleration of feed wheel 206 between points S at which the workpieces are held between roll series 204 and 227, with the greatest acceleration being at points F midway between points S. The cam surface 240 follows leads 29 in close proximity until point C is reached whereas from point C to point D there is engagement of the workpiece leads 29 by the cams and a relatively constant rate of travel as the workpiece passes through roll series 204 and 227 as guided by cams 226. Because of this speeding up of the workpiece from point S to point F the workpiece is carried more rapidly to the work zone than if it were dropped into the work zone by gravity. During the travel of the workpiece while it is engaged by cams 226 between points C and D, it travels relatively slowly through the work zone between roll series 204 and 227 as guided by cams 226, and it is during this travel that the leads 29 are straightened. Thereafter feed wheel 206 speeds up. It is to be noted that each cam 226 includes a relatively straight portion 240' extending in a counterclockwise direction from point D. This straight portion permits the next workpiece entering the space between roll series 204 and 227 to pass cam 226 before it is subsequently engaged by the cam at point C.

The driving relationship for intermittently accelerating and decelerating the movement of feed wheel 206, as described above, is obtained by a special gearing arrangement. More specifically, a gear 228 is keyed to shaft 223 in spaced relationship to gear 222 and gear 228 is in mesh with gear 229 (FIG. 12) keyed to shaft 230 which also has gear 231 keyed thereon which is in mesh with gear 232 keyed to stub shaft 233. Gear 232 is in mesh with gear 234 keyed to shaft 235 journalled in spaced bearings 236 and 237 mounted in housing extension 230. Feed wheel 206 is mounted on shaft 235 and carries the workpieces 231 from the hopper mechanism (not shown) to the rolls where the leads 29 are straightened and then to a station where the workpieces 31 are removed from the feed wheel and carried to a packaging station as described in detail above relative to FIGS. 1-8.

As can best be seen from FIG. 14, gears 228 and 229, which are in mesh with each other, are elliptical so that the motion of shaft 230 which mounts gear 229 will be of an accelerating and decelerating characteristic as shown by curve 241 of FIG. 15. Therefore, gear 234 will be driven according to this same accelerating and decelerating characteristic because it is in mesh with gear 231 keyed on shaft 230 through idler gear 232. Furthermore, since gear 234 is keyed to shaft 235 on which wheel 206 is mounted, wheel 206 will have the accelerating and decelerating characteristic noted above and shown at 241 in FIG. 15.

Roll series 227 is mounted on frame portion 260 which is pivotally mounted for movement about the axis of shaft 213. Frame portion 260 has upper ends 261 and a lower end 262 and frame portion 260 can move from the solid line position shown in FIG. 9 to the dotted line position shown therein. In the dotted line position, roll series 227 is moved to the dotted line position away from roll series 204 to thereby permit access to the inner portions of the machine. Ordinarily when the frame portion 260 is in the solid line position, it is held there by plungers 263 which are biased upwardly by springs 264 which are housed in bores 265 in frame portion 260. Frame member 266 is pivotally mounted on shaft 267 secured within spaced ears 268 extending upwardly from base 200. When frame portion 266 is in the solid line position, the stop portion 268 will abut surface 269 of base 200 and it will be held there because of the overcenter relationship which frame portion 266 occupies relative to shaft axis 267 when plungers 263 engage ends 261 of frame 260. The limit of clockwise movement of frame portion 260 about the axis of shaft 213 is determined by the adjustment of screw 269 which abuts surface 270. It will be appreciated that the spacing between roll series 204 and 227 is such so that when a workpiece is between them, it forces roll series 227 to the left in FIG. 9 against the bias of springs 264.

It is to be noted that the structure of roll series 204 and 227 of FIGS. 9-15 may be identical to roll series 60 and 62, respectively, of FIGS. 1-8, and that a detailed description of the former has been omitted in the interest of brevity.

It can thus be seen that the various embodiments of the present invention are manifestly capable of achieving the above-enumerated objects, and while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it will be appreciated that it is not limited thereto but may be otherwise embodied within ghe scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion ofa workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space, and first moving means for moving said roll means apart to permit insertion of said workpiece into said space.

4. A machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein said feed means include engagement means for maintaining engagement with said central portion while said work-' piece is in said space.

5. A machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first moving means comprise means for moving said third roll series away from said first and second roll series to permit said insertion of said workpiece into said space.

6. A machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said second moving means comprise means for moving said second roll series away from said first roll series to permit said removal of said workpiece from said space.

7. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space, said feed means comprising conveyor means, said roll means comprising first and second roll means, said first roll means including first axially aligned portions defining a first gap therebetween and said second roll means including second axially aligned portions defining a second gap therebetween, and said conveyor means being mounted to pass through said first and second gaps.

8. A machine as set forth in claim 7 including means for mounting said first aligned portions of said first roll series in cantilevered relationship on said base.

9. A machine as set forth in claim 8 wherein said conveyor means comprises a wheel, and wherein said engagement means comprise means on the periphery of said wheel for engaging said central portion of said workpiece.

10. A machine as set forth in claim 7 including means for causing said conveyor means to feed said workpieces into said space with an intermittent stepwise motion.

11. A machine as set forth in claim 7 including second conveyor means, means positioning said second conveyor means proximate said conveyor means for receiving said workpiece therefrom, and means for advancing said second conveyor means in timed relationship to the depositing of said workpieces thereon.

12. A machine as set forth in claim 11 including means for selectively removing certain of said work-' pieces from said conveyor means prior to the depositing thereon on said second conveyor means.

13. A machine as set forth in claim 11 wherein said feed means includes hopper means for containing a plurality of said workpieces, and means for mounting said hopper means proximate said conveyor means to permit said conveyor means to remove individual workpieces from said hopper means.

14. A machine as set forth in claim 13 wherein said engagement means comprise magnets.

15. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiecewhile carrying said workpiece to and from said space, said feed means comprising conveyor means for picking up a workpiece at a first position remote from said space and carrying said workpiece to said space and thereafter carrying said workpiece to a second position remote from said space, and said feed means including a Geneva gear movement for causing said conveyor means to move with an intermittent stepwise movement.

16. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel rollmeans mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads thcrebetween, feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space, said feed means comprising conveyor means for picking up a workpiece at a first position remote from said space and carrying said workpiece to said space and thereafter carrying said workpiece to a second position remote from said space, and said feed means including a gear arrangement for causing said conveyor means to move with a substantially continuous movement with a relatively slow speed as said workpiece is positioned in said space and with a relatively high speed as said workpiece is carried to and from said space.

17. A machine as set forth in claim 16 wherein said conveyor means comprises a feed wheel including a plurality of workpiece engaging portions circumferentially positioned in its periphery.

18. A machine as set forth in claim 17 wherein said roll means comprise first and second rolls, guide means, and means for causing said guide means to operate in timed relationship to the rotation of said feed wheel to guide said workpiece through said space.

19. A machine as set forth in claim 18 wherein said guide means comprise cam means for selectively engaging said leads while said workpiece passes through said space.

20. A machine for straightening a lead extending outwardly from a workpiece comprising a base, first and second roll means mounted on said base, said roll means having substantially parallel axes and outer cylindrical surfaces, a space for receiving said lead between said outer cylindrical surfaces to permit rolling of said lead while said lead is in said space, and feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space and while said lead is being rolled when it is positioned in said space. 

1. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space, and first moving means for moving said roll means apart to permit insertion of said workpiece into said space.
 2. A machine as set forth in claim 1 including second moving means for moving said roll means apart to permit removal of said workpiece from said space.
 3. A machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein said roll means comprise first, second and third series of rolls.
 4. A machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein said feed means include engagement means for maintaining engagement with said central portion while said workpiece is in said space.
 5. A machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first moving means comprise means for moving said third roll series away from said first and second roll series to permit said insertion of said workpiece into said space.
 6. A machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said second moving means comprise means for moving said second roll series away from said first roll series to permit said removal of said workpiece from said space.
 7. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space, said feed means comprising conveyor means, said roll means comprising first and second roll means, said first roll means including first axially aligned portions defining a first gap therebetween and said second roll means including second axially aligned portions defining a second gap therebetween, and said conveyor means being mounted to pass through said first and second gaps.
 8. A machine as set forth in claim 7 including means for mounting said first aligned portions of said first roll series in cantilevered relationship on said base.
 9. A machine as set forth in claim 8 wherein said conveyor means comprises a wheel, and wherein said engagement means comprise means on the periphery of said wheel for engaging said central portion of said workpiece.
 10. A machine as set forth in claim 7 including means for causing said conveyor means to feed said workpieces into said space with an intermittent stepwise motion.
 11. A machine as set forth in claim 7 including second conveyor means, means positioning said second conveyor means proximate said conveyor means for receiving said workpiece therefrom, and means for advancing said second conveyor means in timed relationship to the depositing of said workpieces thereon.
 12. A machine as set forth in claim 11 including means for selectively removing certain of said workpieces from said conveyor means prior to the depositing thereon on said second conveyor means.
 13. A machine as set forth in claim 11 wherein said feed means includes hopper means for containing a plurality of said workpieces, and means for mounting said hopper means proximAte said conveyor means to permit said conveyor means to remove individual workpieces from said hopper means.
 14. A machine as set forth in claim 13 wherein said engagement means comprise magnets.
 15. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space, said feed means comprising conveyor means for picking up a workpiece at a first position remote from said space and carrying said workpiece to said space and thereafter carrying said workpiece to a second position remote from said space, and said feed means including a Geneva gear movement for causing said conveyor means to move with an intermittent stepwise movement.
 16. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space, said feed means comprising conveyor means for picking up a workpiece at a first position remote from said space and carrying said workpiece to said space and thereafter carrying said workpiece to a second position remote from said space, and said feed means including a gear arrangement for causing said conveyor means to move with a substantially continuous movement with a relatively slow speed as said workpiece is positioned in said space and with a relatively high speed as said workpiece is carried to and from said space.
 17. A machine as set forth in claim 16 wherein said conveyor means comprises a feed wheel including a plurality of workpiece engaging portions circumferentially positioned in its periphery.
 18. A machine as set forth in claim 17 wherein said roll means comprise first and second rolls, guide means, and means for causing said guide means to operate in timed relationship to the rotation of said feed wheel to guide said workpiece through said space.
 19. A machine as set forth in claim 18 wherein said guide means comprise cam means for selectively engaging said leads while said workpiece passes through said space.
 20. A machine for straightening a lead extending outwardly from a workpiece comprising a base, first and second roll means mounted on said base, said roll means having substantially parallel axes and outer cylindrical surfaces, a space for receiving said lead between said outer cylindrical surfaces to permit rolling of said lead while said lead is in said space, and feed means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while carrying said workpiece to and from said space and while said lead is being rolled when it is positioned in said space. 